Swing Sets and Tree Tops
by Refreshingly Original
Summary: Harry gets a visitor in the holidays after his fifth year. What comes of it?
1. Chapter 1

**Swing Sets and Tree Tops**

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><p>It had been close to two months since Harry had lost his godfather. Since then he hadn't spoken much, just did the jobs he was given by his relatives and kept to himself. Today his relatives told him they were going away for the day, so he had the house to himself. But after an hour of sitting in his room re-reading his textbooks, he had grabbed his wand and left for the park down the road. It wasn't far, but by the time he got there, he was sweating like a pig in a blanket. The days were hot and were getting hotter. But Harry didn't mind much, he was now at the park.<p>

Unhurriedly, he made his way over to the swing and sat down, gently pushing back with his feet. He watched as the tall grass swayed in the cool breeze and smiled wistfully. _'I wish I was that free.' _He thought to himself, pushing off the ground a lot harder this time.

As he came down on the swing, a small _SNAP _sounded behind Harry. Without turning around or stopping, Harry spoke to the new comer. "Hello Professor McGonagall." He said in his best Snape impersonation.

Minerva spun around at the sound of her name and was surprised to see Harry there. "Harry. What are you doing here?"

"I'm swinging." He continued in his deadpanned tone. "Why are you here Professor?" He asked.

The Transfiguration Professor paused in her walking at his tone before continuing to the swing set. "And why aren't you with your relatives?"

"They're not here."

"They left you alone?" She gasped.

"Everyone else does."

Minerva stepped forward and grasped the chains of the second swing. "Harry…"

"You didn't answer my question Professor." He said, looking up at her. "What are you doing here?"

With a deep sigh, Minerva sat down on the swing. "I came to check on you."

"I'm fine."

Minerva looked at him. He was skinner then he was when he left school, he had dark circles under his eyes and he looked so pale. "Are you really Harry?" She asked softly.

Harry stopped his swinging and looked down at the ground. "Not really." He said, voice cracking under the strain of held back emotions.

Minerva's eyes teared up at Harry's emotional response. Carefully, she reached out and clasped his hand in her own. "Do you want to talk about it Harry?"

Harry looked up at his Professor before looking up at the sky. "We should move. It looks like it's about to rain." He said and stood up, not letting go of her hand. He helped her up from the swing and walked beside her to the undercover picnic table close to the tree. He sat down beside her on the bench facing the park. "So, how are your holidays going Professor?"

Minerva arched her eyebrow at the change of subject, but allowed it. "Slowly, very slowly." Harry looked up at her confused. "All of the other Professors believe I should be resting. So, my holidays are going very slowly." She explained.

Harry looked at her sadly. "Because of the stunners?" Minerva nodded and Harry looked down at the table. "W-We saw it you know. From the Astronomy tower. The attack. We saw. We were horrified at what she did. Ron went to throw his telescope, but Hermione stopped him. I tried…but Neville stopped me. Said you would have me in detention for the rest of my life for being so stupid."

McGonagall stared at him. "What did you try Harry?"

"Jumping over the railing." He mumbled, but because of her animagus form, Minerva heard and gasped. "Harry! That was a very reckless, foolish thing to try." She took a deep breath, and smiled vaguely. "Though I am touched that you would try something so drastic to help."

Harry looked up at her and smiled a little for the first time, before looking back around the playground. "Well, you've been there for me for five years. It…hurt seeing that happen to you. Like part of my family was torn away from me."

Minerva's eyes softened at the confession and moved closer to him on the bench, taking his hand in her own again. "Oh Harry. You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that." She said softly.

Harry looked up at her with a cheeky smile. "I think I do."

Miner looked at him with her eyebrow arched. "Oh, and how would you know?"

"Because, when you first spoke to me, you called me Harry." He explained with a happy smile.

For the first time in a long time, Minerva laughed whole heartedly. When she calmed down, she saw that Harry was still smiling at her and she couldn't help but smile back down at him. Shaking her head, she turned back around and gazed at the bare park. "Why did you come to this park Harry? It seems so…" She trailed off, looking for the right word.

"Boring? Empty? Lonely?" He supplied for her.

She twisted to look at him again with a slight frown. "Well yes."

Harry looked out over the park as McGonagall studied him and shrugged. "I don't know. Mainly to be alone. There's not many places I can go and you can only read your text books so many times before you know what's in them from heart."

Again she lifted her eyebrow at the last statement. "Text books."

Harry blushed when he realised his slip, but nodded his head. "I've umm…I've read through them a couple of times."

Feeling the corners of her mouth twitching, Minerva turned to observe their surrounding again. "So, you know the course for the rest of the school year, and it's only the end of the first week of holidays." She paused for a second, before turning back to Harry with a serious expression. "Is that all you did? Read?" Harry nodded his head. "No. I won't allow you dwindle away to nothing." She said, back to being Professor McGonagall.

Minerva stood up and turned around to face Harry, leaning heavily on her walking stick. "Up, Mr Potter." Harry stood up and moved around the table to stand beside his Professor. "It is time I spoke with Petunia." She said and started to stride towards the pathway near the rode.

Harry watched for a second before he realized that she expected him to follow her and jogged to catch up. Once he beside her, he matched his stride to hers, but slowed down when he noticed that her fast pace was making her lean on her staff more the before. When she saw what Harry was doing, she pursed her lips and pushed on, forcing herself to continue on past the pain. Immediately Harry saw what she was making herself do, and quickened his pace to catch up with her again, this time thinking. Two blocks from his relative's house, he saw that his Head of House was holding onto the top of the cane very tightly. Because he wasn't focusing on where he was walking, he didn't see the stone in his way and tripped.

Seeing Harry trip from the corner of her eye, Minerva stopped and looked down at him in concern. "Are you alright Harry?"

Without opening his eyes, Harry rolled onto his back and groaned. "Fine. Sore, but fine." With a little bit of effort, he pushed himself up and stood, only to jump back as pain shot up through his leg. "Ow."

Minerva stepped forward at the cry and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Harry?"

Smiling, Harry looked at her concerned expression. "I'm fine." To prove his point, he placed his foot back on the ground and took a step, and then another.

Unsurely, Minerva nodded her head and started to walk again, noticing the visible limp that he now had. Slowing her pace so he could keep up with her, she ignored the need to sigh in relief as the pain in her chest eased. Not long after, they were standing in front of the Dursley's house. Just as Harry was about to open the door for Minerva to enter, a dark silver car pulled up in the drive way.

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><p><em>TBC…<em>

_I would just like to say, thank you to all who have read and reviewed Secrets of the Heart, and that since I have been given my two ass-ignments for art already, updates may be random._


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay so I know that in the movies and that, that the kitchen opened on to the lounge room, but for the sake of my sanity (What's left of it that is.) there will be a wall there._

_Kay?_

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><p>Harry stood frozen next to his Head of House as his relatives stepped out of the silver car. His large Uncle was the first to see them and slowly started turning red in the face upon seeing a stern woman in strange green clothing glaring at him. Petunia looked up from the car to inquire about her husband's silence and lost all colour from her face at seeing the familiar witch standing in front of her home once again.<p>

Harry looked up at Minerva and flinched slightly at seeing the look she was giving his relatives and felt a pang of pity for them. That look was known to many of the students at Hogwarts, Snape and even the Headmaster on occasion. He looked back to his Uncle and was amazed to see that his face had turned to a new shade of red. When he noticed that his Uncle was looking at him, his amazement and pity quickly turned to fear. He tried to inch behind Minerva without it being obvious what he was doing. Unfortunately, Minerva realised what he was doing and caught hold of his wrist. "Mr Dursley." Arching her thin eyebrow at the fear stricken family, she continued in that same chilling tone. "Shall we move inside."

Vernon gave a jerky nod and moved as fast as his stubby legs would allow him, which wasn't very fast, and opened the door. Minerva waited for Dudley to walk in, then Petunia. Before she could enter however, the door was slammed shut in her face followed by the sound of the lock turning. "How rude." She said with a heavy accent.

Harry looked around Minerva's shoulder to see her frowning at the locked door. Before he could say anything, she turned around and grabbed his arm tightly. "Hold on." Harry nodded and moved his other arm to hold onto her free hand. With a faint _POP_, they were gone from the front of 4 Privet Drive.

Inside the house, the Dursley's relaxed at the sound of the witch departing only to jump when a small _SNAP _echoed throughout the closed kitchen. Harry opened his eyes to see the shocked faces of his Uncle, Aunt and cousin. Minerva let go of him and turned to face the family. "Locking the door is not going to stop me Petunia."

Petunia held on to her oversized son in a desperate grip. "What do you want?"

Minerva looked at her as if she was stupid. "To talk." She said as she sat down. Waving her wand, a plate of ginger newts appeared in the centre of the table. "Have a biscuit."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at that. Shaking his head, he looked at the older witch and tried to hide his smile at her raised eye brow. Clearing his throat softly, he lowered his head and sat down beside the Transfiguration Mistress and waited until his relatives sat down on the other side of the table. The scrapping of chair being dragged across the tiles told him that his uncle had chosen the seat across from him while his aunt had taken the one across from Minerva. When the sound of a third chair being moved didn't happen, Harry looked up from the table's surface and found that his cousin was walking into the hall way, no doubt going to sit in front of the TV. Harry looked at Minerva hesitantly; he didn't really want to be in the room when she was 'talking' to his relatives.

Relief flooded through him at her nod to leave. He quickly pushed back from the table and left the room, but not before sending a small smile in her direction. Following Dudley's lead, he walked into the hall way, then the lounge room. Seeing that his cousin was sitting in the main chair, he moved to the smaller one in the corner and sat down quietly. Dudley flipped through the channels on the TV until he came across one of his favourite shows, _Open all Hours_.* Leaning back in the chair, Harry strained to listen to the conversation going on between his professor and relatives. After hearing nothing for several minutes, he sighed and turned his attention to the TV.

Not even ten minutes into the show, Dudley turned the television off and turned to face Harry. "What are they speaking about?"

"Me." Harry sighed.

"Why?" Dudley asked with a frown.

Harry searched his expression, but could only find confusion and curiosity. Sighing again, he looked out the window. "Because just before the holidays, I lost my Godfather."

"Oh."

For a while everything was silent. Harry kept looking out the window, while Dudley looked at the remote control. Just as he was reaching for it, the silence was broken by the sound of two women yelling. Harry looked sharply towards the kitchen at the sound of his Head of House's strong accent.

"_Petunia Evans you are a monster! Your sisters son has been through more in the last year alone, then you have in your whole life and you LEAVE HIM BY HIMSELF! What happened to you? The woman Lily talked about was a kind and caring lady that she loved dearly! How could you betray your sisters' love by treating her son, your nephew, like a common slave? How do you treat your own son?" _

Harry ran into the hallway, closely followed by Dudley.

"_Don't you dare talk about my son! I am a great mother to him. Which can't be said about you if what you say about that freaks school year is true. I bet you would make a terrible mother if you had children!" _Came the scream of Petunia.

Harry stood in the doorway with his cousin just behind his shoulder, watching the scene in front of them. McGonagall turned away from Petunia with tears in her eyes. Never seeing such pain showing in the professor green eyes before, Harry looked at his Aunty and snapped. He pushed his way in front of Minerva and place one hand behind his back to grasp her own delicate one.

"How dare you insult this woman! She has done more, seen more, lived through more then you could ever imagine, and you have the gall to say such a dreadful thing about her. You don't even know her! Even if the Professor doesn't have biological children, all of _her _Gryffindor's think of themselves as her children, and so do many from the other houses! And you want to know why, because she treats them like equals, with respect and she protects them!" He panted while starring into his Aunt's gaze. "Never will you hold a candle to Minerva McGonagall, Petunia." He finished softly.

The room was deathly quiet after Harry's speech. Petunia opened her mouth but no words came forth. She looked around the kitchen, but stopped to look at her son. He gave her a sad and disappointed look before turning around and walking back into the lounge room. She looked back into the older witches eyes and saw that they were shinning with the threat of tears again, along with pride and love. What shocked her most though, was that now she felt ashamed of herself.

Minerva moved her free hand to rest on Harry's shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze, before she spoke calmly. "Let's go collect your gear Harry."

Harry nodded his head stiffly, pivoted on his heel and lead Minerva up the stairs into his small room. Once they were inside, he closed the door and gestured for her to sit down on the bed before he pulled his trunk out from underneath his desk. When it was open and sitting on the chair, he turned around to see that Minerva's eyes were slowly dropping. With a smile, he carefully touched her shoulder and spoke softly. "Why don't you lie down for a couple of minutes Professor? It'll take me a while to pack everything I need."

Minerva opened her eyes fully trying to look alert, but before she could say anything, they started to lower again, so all she did was nod as Harry helped her to lay down on her side so she could see what he was doing if she wished. "Only for a few minutes Mr Potter. Then I'll get up and help you." She said softly with her eyes closed.

Smiling once again, Harry turned back around to start packing his gear away while reciting the start of the first chapter of his Transfiguration textbook. _"An animagus is a witch or wizard who can transform themselves at will into a specific animal. The animal that one becomes, is a representation of oneself from ones traits and characteristics…" _As he turned around, he saw that she had fallen asleep. With a smile, he turned back to his work. As he did so, he realized how much he had been smiling that day alone. Shaking his head, he continued to pack.

~Half hour later~

Minerva blinked open her eyes. Sitting in her line of site was Harry with a book propped up against his knees. At closer inspection, she saw that it was the textbook that she had given to the students the year before. While he was turning the page, she slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "What time is it?"

Harry looked at his watch before looking at her. "Quarter past twelve." He said closing his book.

"Are you done packing?" At his silent nod, she stood up and waved her wand over his trunk and book. "Very well." She took the small items in the pockets of her robes and turned to face Harry. "You ready to leave?"

"Yes."

Stepping close to his side, she held out her arm. "Hold on tight then."

Gripping her arm tightly, Harry squeezed his eyes closed as he was sucked into a blur of colors with a faint _POP_.

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><p><em>So, got over my writers block for this chapter, but I don't know when the next one will be up, hopefully soon. Any idea that you have would be great.<em>

_*Open All Hours – Great comedy by the English. If you haven't seen it, look it up on YouTube._

_Now go and smack that button that you love so much. _

_Kat._


	3. Chapter 3

_I am so, so, so, so, sooooooo sorry!_

_I honestly had half of the chapter planned out, but the one scene I really, desperately wanted to add in, wouldn't fit in unless I changed the whole plot._

_So, I went back and started writing from scratch. :L_

_I would also like you to know that this has become very tiresome to write. Lately I've been writing notes for a story that I've been wanting to write for a while now, and it has become top priority, which means this one will either put on hold for a while, or will become a story that I continue with when I have writers block on the other story. But be warned, the other story starts in fourth year, loosely following the book and movies, through to seventh year, completely ignoring the 19 years later bit. :|_

_God that's going to be a lot of writing :L_

_Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter…_

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><p>Harry opened his eyes as he felt himself touch solid ground. He didn't look up like he did the first time he had side-alonged with the Professor, but bent over and dry heaved.<p>

Something that didn't go unnoticed by Minerva either.

After he stood up straight a minute later, the older witch placed a hand on his lower back and smiled a very rare full smile. "Harry." She swung her free arm out in front of them. "Welcome to McGonagall Manor!" She said proudly.

Harry looked at her for a second before slowly turning to face the large dark stone building in front of him. It was amazing. Just by looking at the front of the manor, Harry could tell that it was huge. The main part of the house only had two floors by the look of it, but Harry knew that from the angle of the high roof, that another floor was where the addict would have been. Off to the right side of the home was a three story tower, similar to Gryffindor tower, with two large windows arching around the side on each level. He assumed that that was a sort of library. But in front of the building, two large stone carvings of lions stood on pillars guarding both sides of the large staircase in front of them.

Harry walked beside his Head of House up the stairs to the main entrance of the manor. As he looked at the lion closely, he saw that wrapped around the lions' front paw was a large snake, posed to strike. He moved closer to the statue to get a closer look at the snake. Minerva, seeing what he was looking at, walked up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"My cousin Angus was sorted into Slytherin when he went to Hogwarts. His parents disowned him, so my father and mother took him in. But he was still depressed about being sorted into Slytherin, as everyone in the family had previously been sorted into Gryffindor, so my father added a snake to each lion throughout the house to show that it didn't matter." She explained with a small fond smile as she caressed the snake statue.

Harry looked at her, not unkindly as most would think, but curiously. He suddenly felt a wave of emotion rush over him and he knew he could trust her with his secrets. Looking back at the statue, he took a deep breath before speaking softly. "You know when I was being sorted; the Hat said that I would do well in Slytherin. But I didn't want to go there because Ron told me that they were all evil, so I begged the Hat not to put me there."

Minerva watched Harry carefully as he told her about his sorting. She had always wondered why his had taken so long, while his parents had only taken a few seconds top. When he finished, she placed her arm around his shoulders gently. "Thank you for telling me that Harry." She said with a slight curl of her lip.

Shaking his head mentally, he turned to his Professor and smiled a small smile before he started walking towards the door. Minerva watched him from behind and felt herself smile at the thought of Harry being comfortable enough to tell her something like that, while knowing that if his best friend Ronald found out, it would most likely cause some irreversible damage to their friendship. Silently, she walked behind Harry until she was standing next to him in front of the door. She placed her hand on the old brass handle and waited. Seconds ticked by before a semi-bright red glow emitted from under her hand. Once the glow was gone, she turned the handle and held the solid oak door open for Harry to enter.

What he saw when he entered surprised him. He had been expecting something extravagant like the Malfoys, with marble floors, and diamond chandeliers. But no. In front of him was a long, wide hallway with wooden floors and a thick red carpet running up the centre to the stair case at the end of the hall. Alongside the two walls were many small tables holding books, vases full of flowers and a great number of photos. Muggle and magical. The first word he could think of that could possibly come close to the way the hall looked was loved. He got the feeling that even though everything was neat and tidy, much like the Professor herself, it also felt that the area was one that had seen much love and care through it's years.

When he felt his Professor's presence just behind him, he twisted around to give her a small, yet powerful smile.

He had a feeling that he was going to like staying with his Head of House.


	4. Chapter 4

_So, I'm bored._

_That's all there is to it._

_=D_

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><p>Just like he thought, Harry did rather like staying with his Head of House. He had been staying there for only a week, and he felt as though he had lived there his whole life. Especially when his normally strict and reserved Professor had asked him to call her Minerva. They had just walked into the kitchen as she started the tour of the house.<p>

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><p><em>Minerva put a guiding hand on the young wizards back and gently steered him into a large open room off to the right. At one end of the brightly lit room was a long wooden table that had, what he guessed to be, twelve chairs around it. With a quick and silent count, he found he was right. Slowly, he turned around in a circle, trying to take in as much detail as he could. At the other end of the open room, was a kitchen that would make even Molly speechless. A large, marble top bench ran along the three walls and then cut across the space between the table and the work area.<em>

"_You have a cool home Professor." He said amazed._

_The Transfiguration Mistress laughed softly and walked over to turn the kettle on, which surprised Harry as he was sure she was a pureblood witch. While she reached above her head, with a small wince, to grab two tea cups, Harry continued to look around the kitchen. "Harry dear, seeing as you're going to be staying in my home, away from school, I think you should call me Minerva." She turned around slightly to look over her shoulder and gave him a small smirk. "Don't you?"_

_While she was talking, Harry had started to walk around the large kitchen, more precisely, around the table. When she told him that he should call her by her given name and not her title, he was more than a little shocked. It seemed though, in his state of surprise, he hadn't noticed that the chair he was passing was slightly pushed out from its place, and promptly tripped over its leg, landing with a low 'thump'. Shaking his head, he quickly stood up and faced his head of house with a light pink tinge to his cheeks. "Ahh…M-Minerva?"_

_The older witch had turned around from making the tea and laughed whole heartedly at the messy haired boy's reaction. "Yes Harry. Minerva." She chuckled and went back to making the tea._

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><p>Harry shook his head at the memory. He was still embarrassed by the incident and couldn't help but stutter like a first year in potions class whenever he had to address her, much to the amusement to Minerva. With a sigh, he entered the kitchen area to see her standing in front of the stove cooking what he guessed to be sausages, bacon and eggs. Instead of her heavy dark green teaching robes that she had worn when she had come to visit him, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a bright green blouse. On the first morning, he had been quite shocked to see her dressed in muggle clothing, which she had of course, picked up on. She had simply stated the fact that she wasn't going to be teaching over the summer holidays, so she wasn't going to dress like she was.<p>

As he walked over to the bench that cut across the room, Minerva had turned around to face him with a small smile. "Good morning Harry. Sleep well?"

Harry smiled back at her and nodded. "Morning. I slept like a log. You?"

After asking, Harry noticed that her smile seemed to become more forced then before. "Just fine."

With a frown, Harry picked up the bowls of fruit that sat on the bench and took them to the table. Of course he didn't say anything about her strained answer, it would only upset her. While he was placing the bowls on the table, Minerva had served up the bacon, sausages and eggs onto the plates and walked over to the table. She sat the plates down across from each other at the end of the table. She knew that by right, she should have been sitting at the head of the table where her father use to sit, but she felt that it would make Harry uncomfortable, and she didn't want that.

Once the bowls were beside their plates, Harry sat down and started to cut up his sausages, only to stop when Minerva sighed. "Ohh...I forgot the juice." She groaned as she slowly and carefully pushed herself up from the chair.

Harry frowned at the groan of pain. Instead of asking if she needed a hand up, Harry leant over the table and held up a hand. "I'll get it."

Minerva looked up from her half sitting, half standing position and looked at Harry before nodding her head. She knew why he was doing it, and normally she would have continued on with the task just to prove that she could do it, but since the day she had went to see Harry and he had allowed her to walk at her own pace, stood up for her to his Aunt and then allowed her to sleep in his bed while he packed, she couldn't bring herself to do it in case she somehow hurt his feelings. With a small smile, she sat back down and started to eat. Harry smiled as he walked over to the bench, again, and carefully picked up the jar of juice. Turning around, he cautiously walked back over to the table and held the jug up, silently asking her if she wanted some. When she smiled, he took it as a yes and started pouring the juice into her glass. Once it was three quarters full, he turned to his own glass and filled it before placing the jug down and sitting.

For a while the only sound that could be heard in the large kitchen was the sound of knives and forks scratching against plates. But as Harry finished of his last egg, a high pitched whistle came through the kitchen, making him jump. "What was that?" He asked alarmed.

Minerva smiled and gently pushed herself up from her chair. "The Floo. I'll just go see who it is." She said as she walked towards the door, where she turned around again. "Harry, be a dear and put the dishes in the sink will you." She said with a smile before disappearing.

Harry shook his head and stood up. It wouldn't take him long to move the dishes to the sink and put the left overs in the fridge, so he set to work. Once done, he started to walk towards the library to pick out a book when he heard the slightly panicked voice of Minerva.

"Albus, what are you doing here?"

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><p><em>CLIFFY! XD<em>

_Since this is out of the way now, hopefully I can concentrate on Forever Young…doubt it. Hope you enjoyed._


	5. Chapter 5

_**~Previously on Star Trek Voya- Oh, wrong story. My ba-ad. I, er hope you enjoy.~**_

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><p><em>Once done, he started to walk towards the library to pick out a book when he heard the slightly panicked voice of Minerva.<em>

_"Albus, what are you doing here?"_

"I just thought I would come and see how you are my dear." Came the voice of the Headmaster.

Harry stopped walking. Just around the corner was the one person who couldn't know he was there. Minerva had explained to him about why Dumbledore couldn't know about him not being at the Dursley's, where it was supposedly 'safe'.

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><p><em>Harry sat down across from his head of house in the library with his tea sitting in his hands. The building off to the side of the house was indeed the library and it was magnificent. Minerva had shown him around the surprisingly large tower. On the first floor, a sort of sitting area was set up in the centre of the room with an old looking fireplace across from the entrance, which was connected to the Floo network. All the walls were rounded; they were in a tower after all, with a staircase that was hidden from view, winding its way around the walls to the next floor and the next. On the second floor was a large study. Two large wooden desks sat at opposite ends of the room facing each other with matching leather chairs. Minerva had told him that he could use the one near the entry to the study if he wished before moving onto the last room. In the third room was a large grand piano. It wasn't a normal plain black one though; instead it was a white one with gold detailing's all around the edgings and legs. Even the chair was the same design. Harry had been amazed at seeing such a beautiful instrument and which Minerva saw and said to him 'Maybe one day I'll teach you how to play.'<em>

_That had been over an hour ago now, and Harry was wondering why she had taken him in. He wanted to ask, but he could see that the Professor was tired from walking up and down the winding staircase earlier, so he kept quiet, only Minerva had seen the way he was looking between his tea and her._

"_What is it Harry?" She asked softly._

_Harry frowned and opened his mouth, only to close it again and shake his head. "It doesn't matter."_

_Minerva sat up in her chair and placed her tea on the small table in between herself and Harry. "Something's bothering you Harry and I would like to know what it is."_

_Harry sighed and followed her actions. "It's just that I was wondering why you took me in. I mean, I'm grateful, but you didn't have to." He explained as he looked down at his folded hands._

_Frowning at what she had just heard, Minerva pushed herself out of her chair, wincing as she did so, and walked over to where Harry sat and knelt down in front of him. "Harry. Harry look at me." Harry slowly raised his head and met her eyes. "I took you in because I wanted to, have wanted to since the first moment I found out about what happened to Lily and James." Minerva saw his expression change and hastened to explain further. "But before I could, Albus had Hagrid collect you and take you to your Aunts while he performed an ancient spell. By the time I got there, it was too late." She wiped away the tears from her cheeks and continued on._

"_The spell had been cast and set. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't convince him to allow me to take you and raise you myself. He said it was too dangerous, especially with most of the Death Eater's still loose. I still fought him though, saying that I would die before I allowed anything to happen to you. He told me that if I took you, I would lose my job at Hogwarts and would be charged with kidnapping. After that I conceded, but whenever I had a spare moment, I went and visited you." She chuckled softly and sat down beside him. "Sometimes I would find you playing in the back yard and you would teeter over to me. You would talk on and on about what ever and I would listen. Sometimes I would find you at the park where I found you today, crying and it took all of my will power not to change back and steal you away from those horrid people." She finished softly._

_Harry looked up at her as he thought back to the large amount of times he had run to the park crying. He could only remember eight occasions where anyone found him, and only a few where they only being to find him was a silver tabby cat with square markings around its eyes. "You were Bridgit."_

_Minerva smiled and nodded. "Yes I was."_

_For a while they sat in silence next to each other lost in their own thoughts. Harry thought about all the times he had spoken to Brigit, while Minerva thought about the name he had given her second form. After a while, curiosity got the better of her. _

"_Why did you name me Brigit?"_

_Harry was pulled from his thoughts at the question. "Why? It was either that or Scatha-Scatha-" _

"_Scathach?"_

_Harry looked at her and nodded his head quickly. "Yeah, but as I couldn't and can't pronounce it, I went with something easier that had similar meaning."_

_Minerva frowned and leant back in the chair. "But Scathach was a warrior Goddess and prophetess who taught martial arts, healing and protection…"_

_Harry looked at her. "You did protect me. You helped me heal in ways that no doctor or Med witch could."_

_Minerva smiled softly, but then frowned. She still didn't understand how the name Brigit was similar to Scathach. "How is Brigit similar?"_

_Harry smiled. "Brigit is an Irish Goddess who was a fire Deity and midwife and protector of woman and children. I took into account the last part and the first part." He suddenly turned serious. "Some of those glares you gave me when I did something stupid were damn scary."_

_Minerva looked at him for a second before she cracked and started laughing. Harry watched her for a minute before he joined her. _

* * *

><p>Harry shook his head to clear it of the memory and focused on the conversation happening in the library.<p>

"I am fine thank you Albus." Minerva said quickly.

Harry peaked around the corner into the library and saw Minerva standing in front of the fireplace while Dumbledore stood with his back to the door. Harry knew Minerva had answered to quickly, and by the look of it, so did Minerva and Dumbledore.

"Are you sure my dear? You seem nervous."

Harry saw Minerva look around Dumbledore and at him. He noticed that she was waving her hand at him as if telling him to leave. He quickly spun around ready to sprint up the large staircase and find a place to hide, but he guessed he wasn't quick enough when he heard Dumbledore turn around than ask Minerva who was in her hallway.

"No one. Why would you ask such a thing?"

Harry knew, even without looking, that Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling like Christmas lights. "Because dear, you keep looking out the door were your guest is standing as if you don't want me to meet them."

Minerva bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to think of a way out of the situation. She could feel the blood rising to her cheeks in anger as she came up empty. As she looked at her employer, she saw that damned twinkle in his eye brighten at what she could only guess at, was him thinking that the blood rushing to her cheeks wad from being caught or embarrassed. Suddenly an idea came to her, but she didn't like it.

With a sigh, she relaxed her shoulders. "I will go and get him." She stated.

Minerva walked past him and into the hall way where Harry was leaning against the wall with his eyes squeezed shut. She looked behind her to check that Albus hadn't followed her and took hold of his hand, giving it a light squeeze. Instantly Harry's eyes snapped open and stared at her, silently asking her what to do. She raised her free hand to her mouth and indicated for him to be silent. He nodded his head quickly. He would do anything to keep her from getting in trouble. When she lowered her hand, she moved it to Harry's other hand and grasped it while softly whispering under her breath.

Harry watched with wide eyes as he felt Minerva's magic began to tingle his skin. He didn't know what she was doing, but he trusted her, so he didn't interrupt. As the spell started to take effect, Harry felt as though he was being stretched against his will. He looked down at his hands, only to open his mouth in a silent gasp. They weren't his hands. As she continued to whisper, small beads of sweat formed at the base of her neck. She hadn't used this much power since the attack and it was starting to become uncomfortable. Just as the small pain in her chest began to grow, she finished the spell and opened her eyes slowly. Instead of looking into Harry's bright green eyes, she was looking into a pair of ice blue eyes.

* * *

><p><em>Right, so I was going to make this longer but my head ache is starting to become unbearable.<em>

_Forever Young (Chapter 4) will hopefully be up within the next two weeks. Turns out when I wrote down the notes for chapter 3 and onwards became rushed to get all the ideas down on paper and my neatness suffered for it._

_The next chapter for Confirmation will most probably be up tomorrow, maybe later tonight if I can find some pain killers, but if not it will definitely be up by Monday at the latest. _

_Much love,_

_Ro._


	6. Chapter 6

_Wow it's been a long time since I've updated this. :)_

_I have a few ideas for later chapters and the next two chapter notes for Forever Young written up. _

_So hopefully a few more updates will happen in the next two weeks._

_But don't hold your breath._

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><p>Harry blinked a couple of times to clear his vision, but each time he opened his eyes, it only got worse. Before he could say anything though, Minerva had reached up and plucked his circular frames from his face and placed them in her pocket. It didn't take long for his eyes to adjust and his vision to clear after that but by the time that it did, Minerva had already taken his hand and was leading him into the library. When they entered, the first thing he saw in the library was Professor Dumbledore hideous neon yellow robes which looked severely out of place in the dark coloured library. Before he could laugh at the atrocious sight, Minerva pulled him to stand beside her and introduced him.<p>

"Richard, I'd like you to meet Albus. Albus, this is Richard."

Harry smiled as charmingly as he could and held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Professor Dumbledore. I've heard so much about you." Instead of it coming out in his own voice, it came out like a low rumble.

Automatically Dumbledore reached out and took his hand. "It's nice to meet you Richard, and please, call me Albus."

Harry tried to not to think about how odd the situation was. "Albus then." He said with what he hoped was a convincing smile.

If the Headmaster noticed how awkward 'Richard' was, he didn't show it. "I hope you don't think I'm being to forward, but how long have you been seeing Minerva?"

Beside him, Minerva made a choking sound as she tried to explain that they were just friends. Harry, seeing an opportunity for some fun, moved closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, squeezing gently. "Oh, it's a fairly _new _relationship, isn't it Rina." He chuckled as he looked at her.

Minerva snorted. "You have no idea."

Dumbledore laughed. "She's not giving you a hard time is she?" He asked as he looked at Minerva.

"I resent that Albus Dumbledore. I am by no means difficult." Minerva huffed, crossing her arms.

Before Harry had a chance to reply to the question, Minerva turned around in his embrace and looked up at him with bright green puppy dog eyes. "I'm not giving you a hard time, am I Richy?" She asked quietly, looking up at him through her thick lashes while playing with the top button of his shirt.

Harry laughed at the cute pout Minerva was doing and shook his head slightly. "No, she's not giving me a bad time. Actually, she's convinced me to take her to visit some old friends of mine today."

Minerva snorted and buried her head into Harry's chest to muffle her laughter.

Albus frowned at her reaction, but covered it up before either of them could notice. "Of course. I just thought I would see if Minerva was doing as instructed."

Minerva sighed and looked up at Albus. "I am. Richard makes sure of that." She said dryly as Harry laughed.

"Good. It was nice meeting you Richard." He said, stepping into the floo. "Headmaster's office, Hogwarts!"

With a large burst of green flames, the Headmaster disappeared from view. Once the fire returned to that of a normal fire, neither of them said anything or did anything. Minerva stood facing the fire place with Harry's arms still wrapped around her waist from behind, while Harry stood behind her with an amused twinkle in his eye. Without realizing it, Minerva lent back into the comforting embrace and rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "You know that is going to come back and haunt us eventually." She said, closing her eyes.

Harry hummed and tried to stop himself from smiling with little success. It didn't take long for him to finally lose control and break down laughing at the situation. Minerva smiled as she felt the vibrations of his laughing against her cheek. Turning her head slightly, she pressed her cheek against his chest some more and joined in with his laughing.

It took some time, but the two finally calmed down enough for Minerva to speak. "Tired." She said, yawning.

Harry looked down at her and smiled affectionately. "Why don't you lie down for a while." He suggested.

Minerva shook her head, but didn't open her eyes. "I have to change - you back." She said, pausing as she yawned again.

"I'll be fine for a while longer. Minerva, you need to rest." For the first time he didn't stutter over her name. When she opened her mouth to no doubt deny it, Harry gave her a slight squeeze. "Shh, I know that the spell took a lot out of you. So just do as I say and lie down." He whispered.

Minerva sighed softly and gave the smallest nod of her head. "Okay." She murmured as she fell asleep.

Harry shook his head and as carefully as he could, scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the couch. He placed her on her side and arranged her arms into a comfortable position the best he could before covering her with a light red blanket. Looking down at her peaceful expression, Harry decided to stay close in case she needed him. Picking up one of the few books on the low table behind him, he sat down in front of the sofa and started to read. A few pages in, he laid his head down on his out stretched arm and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Sometime later, Minerva opened her eyes to see Harry, still disguised as Richard, leaning against the side of the sofa with his left arm stretched out so his hand only just touched her fingertips. Reaching out slightly, Minerva took hold of his hand and closed her eyes again.

A few minutes later, Harry sat up with a strangled cry. "No!"

Panting, Harry looked around the room until his blue eyes landed on the sleeping form of Minerva. With a sad sigh, he leant forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." He whispered against her skin.

As he laid his head back down on his arm, he didn't see the tear that ran down her cheek and soak into the cushion.

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><p><em>You might get an update for this or Forever Young soon. <em>

_Probably this._

_Well, I'm off to bed._

_Night!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Rant time._

_Why the hell don't we have any food in this bloody house! We should always have some kind of edible food in the house for times like these. _

_Story time!_

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><p>Harry stood in the second level of his Head of House's library starring out of the window behind her desk. He had been there for well over half the day, and he still hadn't thought up a solution to the problem. When Dumbledore had shown up less than a week ago and Minerva was forced to disguise him, he hadn't noticed at first that the complicated spell she had used had not only caused her to tire rapidly, but also a severe amount of pain. That day he had sat beside Minerva as she slept sporadically throughout the day and told her about things that he had never considered telling anyone else, not even Ron or Hermione, when she was awake. And in return, she spoke about her childhood, how she felt when she lost her parents in the war against Grindelwald and how proud of him she was.<p>

Since then, the bond between the two had turned from a tentative mother-son relationship to that of a strong friendship. Minerva had relaxed and opened up more around him. He had become accustomed to her throwing her arms over his shoulders from behind unexpectedly and the light kisses on his head when he was sitting down.

It didn't bother him that he had been still disguised as Richard when it was time for them to turn in for the night, where Minerva could sleep for several hours uninterrupted, what bothered him was the idea of her having to go through all that pain every time he needed to be turned into Richard and returned back to himself. So he had retreated to the second floor straight after breakfast and started looking through the countless books on the shelves for anything that would help, but nothing he found would work as they all needed to be cast by someone else. Sighing, Harry turned away from the window and left the second floor study.

Down on the first floor, Minerva stood in the exact same position.

After having watched Harry retreat into the library to read she assumed, she had cleaned up the small mess she had made while cooking breakfast and then went to see Harry, only to find that he wasn't sitting in his usual spot on the sofa. Once she realized he had walked up to the second level, Minerva had curled up in his spot on the sofa, deciding that she didn't have the energy to follow him up the long winding staircase. Instead, she picked up the book she had left on the low table and picked up where she had left off the night before.

But after finishing, she didn't really know what to do. She wanted to see Harry, but she knew that if she walked up those stairs, it would be all day before she could walk down again. So instead, she walked over to the window and watched the tall tree's sway in the breeze.

She knew something was bothering Harry and she had a pretty good idea of what it was, but she didn't want to be the one to bring it up. She needed him to do that. She needed a lot of things from him.

She needed him.

* * *

><p><em>In the pitch black, Minerva walked down the staircase on unsteady legs. She was heading for the kitchen to hopefully have a cup of tea and a pain reliever potion for her chest. But as she came to the last few steps, the pain flared suddenly, causing her to stumble and fall. She tried to catch herself on the railing, but her hand missed and she rolled down the last few remaining stairs until she landed on the soft carpet with a soft 'oomph'. <em>

_She laid there for a few minutes, trying to catch her breath. To busy concentrating on her breathing, she did not hear the door clicking shut upstairs, or the sound of bare feet padding along the hallway. It was only when the stair at the top of the case creaked; she realized that Harry must have heard her fall. She exhaled forcibly through her nose and slowly sat up, using the railing to help. As Harry walked down the stairs, she propped herself against the railing without letting go._

_He didn't pause as she expected him to upon seeing her leaning against the railing, but he kept on walking towards her. She blocked out the sudden light of Harry's wand by closing her eyes. But she couldn't block out the sound of him sitting down next to her, or the feeling of his hands gently rubbing her back and holding hers. As her breathing began to even out to a normal pace, she rolled her head to face him and opened her eyes slowly to look at him for the first time since he sat down._

_She waited for Harry to say that she shouldn't be walking around in the middle of the night in her condition without a light to see where she was going, but instead he surprised her by standing up and offering her his hand. "Tea?"_

_She paused for a second before slipping her hand into his and allowing him to guide her into the kitchen._

* * *

><p>Harry stood in front of the door to the staircase in silence. In the few weeks that he had been staying with Minerva, he had never seen her in such turmoil. There she was standing in front of the window with her arms wrapped securely around her torso wearing the saddest expression he had ever seen. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms over hers gently, taking her smaller hands in his own.<p>

"What's wrong Rina?"

Minerva sighed quietly, bringing her shoulders up in a small shrug. "You locked yourself away for most of the day and I could not help you." She answered, not looking away from the trees.

Harry watched her reflection in the window as she answered in her typical fashion. "I was looking for a solution."

Turning slightly, Minerva peered up at him over the top of her glasses. "Why?"

Harry didn't question how she knew what he was talking about. "You were in so much pain after you were forced to disguise me. I don't want you to have to go through that again if I need to be disguised."

Minerva half sighed, half laughed. "Oh Harry. I have already come up with a solution."

"You have?" Harry asked with a slight frown.

Minerva nodded and pulled out of the hug. "Yes," She said as she walked over to the small table in front of the fire place. "I have."

Harry followed her, and saw her pick up a large circular amulet. It looked very similar to the broche that she wore in his fourth year. It was a dark red stone set in what he guessed to be real gold, hang from a thick, long chain. She held it up between them and touched it so it slowly spun around.

"This belonged to my father." Harry looked up as she spoke. "It's part of a pair. My mother owned the broche that I wear." She smiled. "I've bewitched it to allow you to change into Richard when you need to." She explained as she placed the amulet around Harry's neck. "All you have to say is _Richard McDonald_."

Harry looked down at the amulet that hung from his neck. It wasn't as heavy as he thought it would be. He looked back up at Minerva with a smile. "Thank you."

Minerva smiled back at him before turning serious. "Just don't lose it."

* * *

><p><em>So, I changed my poll back to the one for Slumbering Love.<em>

_If you haven't done it, please do._

_Ro._


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay, so this chapter is based two weeks later from the previous chapter. So we're about two thirds of the way through the summer holidays. _

* * *

><p>Harry sat in his usual spot in the corner of the sofa with a book opened in his lap. He had been sitting there ever since Minerva had gone up to bed, which was three hours ago. Finishing the last page in his book, he got up, placed it back in its place and entered the kitchen to refill his cup with hot chocolate. As he was pouring the milk into his cup, he looked up at the ceiling with a frown after having thought he heard a thump coming from the attic, but he knew Minerva had been asleep for a while now so he went back into the library with his drink. Setting the mug down on the stand beside the seat, Harry walked over to the bookcase beside the door and pulled a book out at random. It wasn't long before he was absorbed into the new book.<p>

Half way through the book, Harry heard the sounds of Minerva walking towards the library. Turning around, he laid arm across the back of the sofa and looked at her curiously. He could tell by the look on her face that she was surprised to see him up so late, but not surprised to find him reading by fire light. He watched as she hesitated before walking around the sofa and sitting beside him with her head on his shoulder.

"Hey." She whispered.

Harry looked down at her with a small, tired smile. "Hey yourself. Why aren't you in bed?"

Sighing, Minerva snuggled into the curve of his neck. "I couldn't sleep."

Reaching over to where his half full mug of now cold hot chocolate sat, he picked up his book mark, slipped it into place and laid the book down next to the mug. He carefully turned in the corner of lounge, and moved his arm from the back of the couch to wrap around her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Minerva pulled herself closer to Harry and closed her eyes. "I keep having nightmares, nightmare really." She opened her eyes and stared into the fire, licking her suddenly dried lips. "It starts with me running towards Hagrid's hut, demanding to know what they were doing just like I did, but they fire the stunners at me." She swallowed audibly. "Instead of being hit straight away like I was, the stunners moved towards me in slow-motion. I try to block them, but I can't. No matter what spell I use, I can't and I can see them getting closer so I try to transform, but it doesn't work. I try to jump out of the way, but I can't. I'm frozen and I _can't _move." She took a shaky breath and clenched her fist. "Then I can feel myself being lifted from the ground and all I can see is the stars and I remember thinking about how clear the night sky is before I hit the ground."

Harry waited patiently as she stared into the crackling fire.

"When I open my eyes, I'm lying in the middle of a giant chessboard and _she's_ standing there, in front of me, mocking me with her twisted smile. She starts walking towards me a-and I'm scared, so scared. She keeps coming closer and closer. I-I tell her to stay away, to not come near me, but she doesn't listen, so I back away. The next thing I know I'm hanging on to the edge of the chess board and she's standing right above me, still _smiling_." She exhaled irately, before taking a trembling breath. "She steps on my fingers and grinds them under her heels and god! I could feel them _break_! I-I begged her to stop, but she didn't a-and I-I fell. I couldn't hold on, I couldn't…" She cried, burying her head into his shoulder.

Harry held on to her as she sobbed. He knew from that moment on that if he ever saw Dolores Umbridge again, he would kill her without a second thought for hurting Minerva. He rubbed small circles over her back in an attempt to calm her, but it didn't work. So he moved his hand to her head and gently ran his fingers through her black locks. He loved playing with her hair when he could, though it very rarely happened as she normally wore it in a braid down the centre of her back.

He chuckled silently at the memory of playing with her hair for the first time and looked down at her with a small smile. Only for it to grow larger at seeing that she had fallen asleep while he was strolling down memory lane. He moved his hand from her hair to her forehead and kissed the crown of her head. Pulling back, he frowned at the amount of heat coming from under his hand. Moving out from under Minerva a bit, Harry raised his other hand to her cheek and felt the heat rolling off her in waves. She had a fever, a high one at that.

As carefully as he could, he moved from under her completely and picked her up bridal style. With decisive steps, he walked out of the library, up the stairs, down the hall way of the second level and entered his room. He positioned her tenderly on the bed and pulled the covers up to her waist before walking into the adjoining bathroom and filling up a large bowl with cold water. As he left the bathroom, he grabbed a clean wash cloth and threw it into the cold water.

Setting the water down on the night stand beside the bed, he looked down at her. Strands of her hair were plastered to her face from sweat and her breathing was faster than normal. "Oh Minerva." Sighing, Harry brushed away the damp strands before setting to work bathing her face, neck and hands in cold water.

* * *

><p>The next morning when Minerva woke up, she moaned and rolled on to her side before opening her eyes, only to close them again from the bright light filtering in from the windows. Squinting, she looked around the room before her eyes fell on the arm chair beside the bed and the bowl of water on the night stand. Rubbing the heel of her palms into her eyes, she tried to remember how she had ended up in his room and bed, but only brought up blanks. Throwing the blankets off, she stood up only to sit back down as a wave of dizziness overcame her. Taking a deep breath, she stood up slower this time and waited for a few seconds just in case before making her way to the kitchen.<p>

Stepping out into the hallway the smell of pancakes and porridge reached her. The sound of her stomach rumbling at the delicious spell made her want to run to the kitchen, but she forced herself to walk at a dignified pace. Upon entering the kitchen, she was greeted to the sight of Harry placing a large plate of pancakes in the centre of their seats where two bowls of porridge that already sat with a tall glass of orange juice.

Walking further into the room, she saw that Harry was wearing the same clothes he had been thee day before. Looking down at herself, she was surprised to see that she was wearing a loose fitting blue top and white skirt.

"You have a fever. I thought you would feel better if you weren't in jeans."

Looking up at Harry, Minerva saw the straightforward answer for what it was, the truth. Nodding her head, she groaned as it started to pound. Holding her head in her hands, Minerva whispered quietly. "Thank you." She sat down in what was usually Harry's spot and pulled the bowl of porridge towards her.

Harry smile sympathetically, and made her a strong cup of tea. "Here."

Minerva looked up at him with a grateful expression before taking a large mouthful of the scalding liquid. She hummed in pleasure as the searing hot drink warmed her sore throat and settled in her stomach. Placing the cup down, she forced herself to eat most of the warm porridge as Harry sat down in her spot and ate.

Once she got to the point of where she couldn't force herself to eat anymore, she pushed the bowl away from her, grabbed her glass of juice and drank it all in one go. Harry arched his eyebrow at the uncharacteristic move, but continued to finish off his small pile of pancakes.

Minerva seeing the look, lowered the glass, wiped her mouth and gave him a stern look. "What?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing, you just don't drink that much normally."

"I'm thirsty." Minerva defended herself.

"You're dehydrated." He stated. "You wouldn't drink anything last night."

Minerva picked up her cup of tea. "That would explain why my head feels like it was hit with the night bus."

"Indeed." Harry said as he cleared the table of the remains of their breakfast.

"Oh, here let me help…" Minerva started as she stood up, but stopped as the world spun around on her. "Oh." She whispered as she grabbed the table to keep her stable.

Harry rushed to her side, holding her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine. Just dizzy." She waved off his concern.

"Come on, let's go to the library where you can rest."

Minerva nodded her head and allowed Harry to guide her across the hall to the library. As she sat down on the sofa, Harry left the library without a word. A few minutes later, he walked back in carrying a tray with two cups of steaming tea and a tea pot. Placing the tray on the low table, he handed one to her, took one for himself and sat down beside her on the sofa with the book he had been reading the night before.

"Would you read to me?" Minerva asked quietly, looking down into her cup.

Harry looked at her, noting the rosy tint to her cheeks before he started to read out loud. "_Three women were transformed into flowers which grew in the field, but one of them was allowed to be in her own home at night. Then once when day was drawing near, and she was forced to go back to her companions in the field and become a flower again, she said to her husband, "If you will come this afternoon and gather me, I shall be set free and henceforth stay with you." And he did so."_

As Harry spoke, Minerva placed her cup on the table and adjusted herself on the sofa so her head was resting in Harry's lap.

"_Now the question is, how did her husband know her, for the flowers were exactly alike, and without any difference. Answer - as she was at her home during the night and not in the field, no dew fell on her as it did on the others, and by this her husband knew her._"

"Another." Minerva whispered, closing her eyes.

Harry smiled down at her, flipped the page of the old book and started stroking her hair. "_Once upon a time a poor pious peasant died, and arrived before the gate of heaven. At the same time a very rich, rich lord came there who also wanted to get into heaven. Then saint peter came with the key, and opened the door, and let the great man in, but apparently did not see the peasant, and shut the door again. And now the peasant outside heard how the great man was received in heaven with all kinds of rejoicing, and how they were making music, and singing within. _

"_At length all became quiet again, and saint peter came and opened the gate of heaven, and let the peasant in. The peasant, however, expected that they would make music and sing when he went in also, but all remained quite quiet. He was received with great affection, it is true, and the angels came to meet him, but no one sang. Then the peasant asked saint peter how it was that they did not sing for him as they had done when the rich man went in, and said that it seemed to him that there in heaven things were done with just as much partiality as on earth. Then said saint peter, 'By no means, you are just as dear to us as anyone else, and will enjoy every heavenly delight that the rich man enjoys, but poor fellows like you come to heaven every day, but a rich man like this does not come more than once in a hundred years_.'"

Once done, Harry looked down at Minerva, expecting her to ask for another, but found her with her eyes closed and her breathing deep and even. Smiling, he went back to reading the old tales.

* * *

><p><em>I just want to know, would you like to see an update for Forever Young or an update for one of the other stories?<em>

_Also, those two tales where from The Brothers Grimm collection I found online. The first was The Riddling Tale and the second one was The Peasant in Heaven._


	9. Chapter 9

**_Please forgive me for this._**

* * *

><p>Harry sat with his legs stretched out in front of him with his feet resting on the low table. He had been sitting there for a couple of hours now, and he was starting to feel the effects of not moving. He tried to shift around a bit, but he found it hard while trying not to disturb to sleeping woman whose head was resting on his lap. Looking down at her, Harry sighed sadly at the pained expression he saw. Moving his hand from its resting place on her waist, he brushed the few loose strands of hair off of her face with a tenderness that surprised even him. As his hand made contact with her forehead however, his surprise was lost and he frowned at the heat her felt under his hand. It seemed that her fever was back.<p>

With a sigh, he lowered his feet from the table and placed his book on the table beside the sofa, before carefully picking Minerva's head up from his lap and standing. Before he left, he looked down at Minerva, noticing for the first time the beads of sweat doting her forehead. Shaking his head, he left the library and walk upstairs to his room to gather the bowl and cloth he used the night before.

* * *

><p>When he came back down the stairs, he heard a loud crash come from the library. Careful not to spill the fresh water, Harry hurried into the library, thinking that someone was attacking Minerva. But when he stepped into the room, Harry realized that it had been Minerva. She was thrashing around in her sleep and had knocked over one of the metal vases she had sitting on the small table beside the sofa.<p>

Sighing in relief, Harry placed the bowl of water on the now more spacious table and carefully lifted her head up before sliding back into the place he had been sitting in before. As gently as he could, he lowered her head until it was propped up against his legs. Shaking his head sadly as Minerva whimpered in pain, Harry began to dab at her forehead with the damp cloth in a vain attempt to lower her temperature.

* * *

><p>An hour later Harry put the wash cloth in the bowl of water and looked down at the now peacefully sleeping woman. Her temperature had finally broken and she was sleeping contently. Sighing, he brushed back the hairs that were stuck to her cheek and leant back against the back of the chair, closing his eyes. Soon his thoughts slowed down until only one remained.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Harry stretched out as far as he could on the cool grass, looking up at the sky. He didn't know how long he had been there for, but he was content to stay there and just watch the white clouds float overhead. Closing his eyes, he listened to the sound of the leaves of the dancing with the wind. But the calming sound was broken by the sound of a twig snapping. Standing up faster than humanly possible, Harry turned around to face the intruder. But instead of seeing a Death Eater or Voldemort himself, Harry saw Minerva walking down the pathway from the mansion without any sign of a limp. As she drew near, he smiled.<em>

_Suddenly, she was standing in front of him in a bright green dress with a bright smile. "Come swing with me Harry." She said, taking hold of his hand._

_Harry smiled and followed her along a path he hadn't noticed, laughing along with her. Without realizing, they had stopped in front of a pair of swings hanging from a tree on the edge of a hill. Minerva released his hand and sat down on the swing closest to the trunk. Twisting in her seat, she smiled up at him. "Push me Harry." She said softly, "I want to fly." _

_Harry smiled at her and grasped the rope of the swing, pulling her backwards before letting her go. Gently he pushed her forwards, always being careful not to push her to hard, all the while she laughed cheerfully. With each push, she soared higher and higher, until she could go no higher. _

_Still laughing, she looked at him from her amazing height. "Higher Harry! I want to go higher! I want to see over the tree tops!"_

_Harry smiled but shook his head. "You can't go any higher."_

_Minerva's laughing stopped. "But I want to go higher." She said with a small frown._

_Harry shook his head again as he continued to push her on the swing. "You can't go any higher." He repeated._

_Suddenly Minerva started to rock from side to side on the swing, crying out at the top of her lungs. "I want to go Higher! I want to fly!" She screamed._

_Harry looked around him as the wind picked up, stirring up the dirt and leaves surrounding them. Looking up, he noticed the once clear sky was now being cut off by big, grey rolling clouds. Looking down, the healthy green grass was nothing more than dirt. _

"_I want to be free!" She screeched._

_SNAP!_

_The rope under her hand broke._

_Harry watched as Minerva flew through the air in slow motion. As she rolled mid-flight, she started laughing again and smiled at Harry. _

_Harry pushed himself forward, pushed himself to move as fast as he could, but it felt as if he was running through syrup. Each step was a struggle. With each step, Minerva fell closer and closer to the ground. With one last push, Harry jumped forward and grabbed for Minerva's wrist, only to miss._

_She landed with a sickening thud on the dead grass before she rolled down the rest of the hill. Pushing himself up, he ran down the hill before dropping to his knees beside her body._

"_Minerva?!" He called, touching her shoulder._

_Minerva rolled her head to look up at him and smiled, laughing weakly. "Harry." She closed her eyes, then opened them again. "Harry?" She asked with a frown._

"_Yes?"_

"_Where are my glasses?"_

_Harry frowned. She was wearing them. "You're glasses?"_

"_I can't see. Where are they?"_

_Harry watched as she looked around her blankly. _

"_Harry, where are they?"_

_Tears began to pool in his eyes._

"_Harry?"_

_He blinked. 'I'm sorry.' He thought._

"_Harry?"_

* * *

><p>"Harry?"<p>

"Harry?"

Shaking his head, he forced his eyes open. There in front of him was Minerva, looking at him with a small frown creasing her forehead.

"Harry, are you alright?" She asked, searching his eyes.

Harry took a deep breath, not allowing himself to blink lest the tears fall.

"I'm fine."

Nodding her head slightly, Minerva stood up straight before looking around her with narrowed eyes. "Have you seen my glasses?" She asked, looking back at him.

Swallowing around the lump in his throat, Harry licked his lips. "Night stand in my room."

Smiling slightly, Minerva walked passed him, dropping her hand to his shoulder. "Thank you Harry. I can't read without them."

Harry nodded his head numbly. "You're welcome."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Made myself tear up with this.<strong>_


	10. Chapter 11

_I figured seeing as I'm not updating Forever Young until sometime next month, I should update something else, so I dug out my notes for this and got to work._

_Bit of a warning, it's short._

_Enjoy._

* * *

><p>Harry sat at the low table in the library, scribbling away on a long piece of parchment under the steady gaze of Minerva. He found it great being friends with her and if he was honest with himself, he loved her very much, but when she turned in Professor McGonagall on him earlier that morning, boy did he feel like he was back in first year.<p>

It wasn't that he was rude, or he said something that struck a nerve with her, it was just that he hadn't done his holiday assignments yet and when all her not so subtle hints flew by him, she went Professor on him and threatened him with detention if he didn't do them before the day was over. He couldn't fault her really, and it wasn't that much. Just two essays. One for Transfiguration and one for Charms.

Looking back on it now, he couldn't believe that he had missed what she was saying when she told him that she had to mark all these _essays_ in the next week before she had to go back to Hogwarts to prepare for all the classes, and figure out what _assignments_ she was going give out for the year.

Shaking his head, Harry looked down at the start of his Charms essay. He had finished his Transfiguration essay earlier, and when Minerva had offered to read over it, he had turned her down, saying that it would feel like cheating. Minerva had accepted this and told him to get a start on his Charms, only Harry had no idea how to start it. It took him a couple of tries, but after half an hour he was happy with the introduction paragraph and got stuck in on the rest of it.

* * *

><p>An hour later, he looked up from his essay with a smile. He knew it wasn't the best essay he had written, but he was happy with it and that would have to do. Nodding once to himself, he piled the assignments together and tucked them into his text book before stacking them on the corner of the table. He stood up and stretched, watching Minerva read from the corner of his eye. Minutes passed as he stood there, he didn't even realize he was staring until he looked at him over the top of her glasses.<p>

"Is there something you wanted Harry?"

Feeling blood rush into his cheeks, he sat down on the sofa. "Not really."

"Not really?" She asked, lowering the essay slightly.

Shrugging, he leant back against the sofa. "I was just wondering why you always wear your glasses." He said nonchalantly.

Giving a rather unladylike snort, Minerva smiled. "You mean besides having to wear them?"

"Well yes."

Minerva narrowed her eyes at him slightly. She knew he was a clever boy, knew it the moment she laid eyes on him on the Grand Staircase for the first time, so it didn't really surprise her that much that he knew that she didn't need them like he needed his. "When I first started teaching after the war with Grindelwald," She started quietly, "I only wore them to read, but after some time had passed and I settled into my role, I became aware of the fact that some of the older students and staff were uncomfortable with looking me in the eye."

"Why?"

She nodded absentmindedly with a small smile that disappeared when she looked at the far wall. "I asked the same thing. I was told that my eyes reminded them of the killing curse. Something I used to take pride in, gone in a second all because of the colour." She whispered, before shaking her head, once more speaking in her usual tones. "After that, I started wearing my glasses all the time."

After that, the pair sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Minerva of a time where she could happily walk around without having to be twice as careful not to misjudge distances and walk into the edge of things and Harry about the killing curse. He had seen it three times in his life, he knew the colour well, but looking into Minerva's eyes, he didn't see it. Her eyes were bright yes, but they weren't the eerie green that the curse was, it was more that of a forest. Vivid, but still dark. The complete opposite of the killing curse. Acting without thinking, something he known for, he stood up and stepped in front of her. Before she could react, he reached out and plucked the thin wired frames from her nose and tucked them into his pocket.

"Harry what-"

Harry shook his head. "The former students and staff were colour blind. You shouldn't have listened to them. Your eyes are incredible. Don't hide them just because of what they said."

Minerva blinked a couple of times as her vision cleared. She stared up at Harry in astonishment. "But the colour-"

"Isn't anywhere near the colour of the curse."

At the confidence and the straightforwardness of the fact, Minerva slumped back into the armchair slightly with a sigh. "You're too young to know what that curse looks like."

Harry tilted his head slightly. "Perhaps, but I do, so you'll have to trust me when I say this, your eyes are not anything like the killing curse, they are like a liquid forest." He said truthfully, looking her in the eye to make sure his point was made.

After a moment of silence, he nodded his head. "Good." Before turning around and gathering up his texts books and taking them back upstairs to his room.

In the library, Minerva let a breath. "Damn." She whispered before going to finish reading the essay in her hand, only to realize that Harry still had her glasses. "Damn."


	11. Chapter 12

_Have fun._

_Though I doubt you will with this one._

* * *

><p>Days later found Harry wandering around the upper level of the library late at night. He still had nightmares of that night in the Ministry. <em>Although,<em> he thought, _since coming here, they've decreased in frequency. _Shaking his head, he picked a book off the shelf at random and flipped through it. It looked interesting enough, if the hastily scribbled notes around the edges were anything to go by. Turning back to the first page, he turned around and headed for the door, carefully making his way down the large spiral stair case. As he was reading when he closed the door behind him, he didn't see the figure curled up in the corner of the sofa. It wasn't until he went to sit in his usual spot that he saw her.

"Minerva."

The woman looked up from the large dusty book she had sitting in her lap. "Harry, what are you doing up?" She asked as she closed the book.

"I couldn't sleep," He sat down beside her. "Is everything alright?"

"Fine."

Harry looked at her closely. Even with the limited light the fire provided, he could still see the remains of tears on her cheeks. Placing his own book down on the table in front of them, he turned around fully, bringing his leg up on to the couch, and faced her.

"Minerva," He started softly, watching her. "Tell me the truth."

Beside him, she ran her hands up and down the worn covering lovingly. "Do you ever wonder why I live in this big house by myself Harry?" She looked at him and he shook his head. "No? Well, I never used too."

Harry knew by the small smile on her face that he had shown how surprised he was at that small amount of information.

"From the first moment I can remember, this house was filled with people. Not only did my parents and my brothers and sister live here, but so did my grandparents and some of my aunts and uncles with their children." She stopped and Harry nodded his head in encouragement.

Taking a deep breath, she looked into the fire that was blazing across from them. "When I was growing up, there was another war. We were fighting Grindelwald, and at the same time, the muggles were fighting against Hitler. The adults left to fight, leaving my older brother and I to look after everyone else." She opened the thick cover to show Harry the first photo, "This was taken less than a week before they left to fight."

Harry moved in closer to her and looked at the muggle photo closely, pretending not to notice the stiffening of his friends shoulders as he did so. As he looked at each face, he could see that out of the surprisingly large amount of girls in the photo, Minerva was the only one with long black hair, everyone else had short red hair, even the woman who he assumed to be her grandmother had auburn hair streaked with grey. Glancing up at Minerva, he smiled at her before looking back down at the photo, his eyes landing on the tall man standing to Minerva's left.

"Who's that?" He asked quietly, pointing to bearded man.

"That was my older brother, Marcus."

"I would have thought that was Angus." He said, having imagined the man being serious and withdrawn much like Minerva was at school after being disowned by his family for being sorted into Slytherin.

Minerva shook her head and pointed to the taller, skinnier man that was peeking out from behind her. "That's Angus. He was always getting into mischief, always joking around at the most inappropriate of times."

Looking up from leaning over, Harry smiled. "So he was the McGonagall version of the Twins?"

"I never thought of it like that," She said, smiling sadly down at the picture. "But yes."

Harry nodded his head slowly, looking intently at the younger Minerva. "You look so happy." He whispered, not sure if he wanted her to hear him.

But she did hear him. "I was. Why wouldn't I be? I had my whole family with me." A tear rolled down her cheek. "Little did I know that in the months they were gone, they would never return."

Reaching out, Harry carefully took hold of her hand.

"At first, we thought everything was going fine, but days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and they had yet to send anything to keep in contact." She sighed. "A few months before the war ended, the ministry pronounced them dead and the house was left to me, not my brother, and it angered him. He refused to talk to me for such a long time I became use to his silent company, but then one day I went to see if he was coming to join the rest of us for breakfast, and he was gone. He'd left sometime during the night to go and search for everyone." She let out a soft sob. "Not even two days later his body was left hanging from the gates, the message _'You're next'_ carved into his burnt flesh."

Gripping her hand tightly, he forced back down the bile that rose in his throat.

"I informed the Ministry, but nothing happened as almost every Auror was in the field and the ones who weren't were protecting the Minister." She spat, angrily wiping away a tear. "They said nothing would happen, not with a powerful witch like me there to protect them. I was seventeen! I was barely out of school! And I had to protect everyone!" She threw the photo album across the room, shocking Harry. "I tried, I tried so hard to keep them safe, but they got in somehow while I was walking the perimeter. I was at the far end when I saw the glow of the fire." She whispered, covering her eyes.

Harry reached out and placed his hand on her lower back, not moving it, offering her support as she gathered her thoughts.

"I was never the fasted runner, but that night I ran as if my life depended on it. I knew I wouldn't make it in time, but I still ran." Lowering her hand, she starred into the fire across from them. "When I got to the door, I could see that the first and second floors were ablaze, and I knew that if I opened the door I would only make the fire worse." She spoke in a calm tone, no emotion breaking though, even though tears were still rolling down her cheeks. "I couldn't get in; I had put up special wards to keep the children safe from anyone apparating in and at that age I didn't know how to manipulate them to allow me entry, so all I could do was stand there and listen."

"Minerva…" Harry called, speaking in such a quiet voice that he was surprised that she heard him.

Turning around, she looked at him, her eyes glassy as she continued. "I stood there for an hour, begging for anyone to help them as they begged for me to help them. I stood there listening to my family as they died, pleading for help. Screaming in pain. And I couldn't do a thing."

"Minerva." This time it came out much stronger than before.

Minerva shook her head and stood up. "I'm going to bed. You'd do well to so as well."

Harry watched as she walked around the sofa and to the door way, pausing there and gripping the frame for a moment, whispering something before moving on.

He waited until he heard the door of her room close before getting up himself. He picked up the large album and opened it to the picture again. Looking at the young lady in the picture, he couldn't help but tear up at the innocence he could see in her eyes that was no longer there. Looking way, he closed the book and placed it on the shelf before head up to his room.

That night, Minerva's last words haunted his dreams.

_They were only children._

* * *

><p><em>One more to go I think.<em>


	12. Chapter 13

_Here we go. The second last chapter._

* * *

><p>A week later, Minerva stood at the base of the stairs lightly tapping her foot in impatience. She had specifically told him to pack three days ago to prevent this, but of course, just like she knew he would, he had left it to the night before and now they were running late because he had packed the clothes he needed at the bottom of his trunk. Shaking her head, she glanced at the watch she had on then up at the ceiling.<p>

"Harry James Potter, if you do not make it down these stairs in the next minute I will be leaving without you." She called out sternly, automatically dropping into her Professor persona.

Not even ten seconds after she finished speaking, Harry walked down the stairs with his trunk floating behind him. "Yes Minerva." He said, smirking.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she folded her arms. "Don't back chat young man, we're running late."

Blinking a couple of times, he looked at his own watched and blushed upon realizing that they were thirty minutes late. "Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"Mm." She hummed in return before nodding her head. "Let's go." She said before walking into the library and opening the floo.

Harry followed her, pausing beside her as she drew her wand and waved it over his trunk, before tucking both of them away in her robes. He watched her as she stepped into the green fire, still not use to seeing her in her teaching robes again, even though for five years that all he saw her in, except for those odd nights when she had to escort him around the castle after hours.

"Now, I know you've travelled by floo before," He felt his face heat up at that, "So I know you know what to do, but for my sake, I'm going to tell you anyway. Repeat what I say, very clearly, ten seconds after I've done so. I don't want you to bowl me over before I can get out. Is that clear?"

Harry nodded.

"Good. Any questions?"

"Everything turned off? House locked up?" He asked, smiling innocently at her.

Once again narrowing her eyes, Minerva sniped. "Yes Harry, I double checked while you repacked everything." She said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.

Smiling in return, Harry nodded his head. "Good."

Shaking her head, this time in amusement, Minerva dropped the second half of floo powder from her hand. "Deputy Headmistress' office, Hogwarts." She said before disappearing in a blaze of green.

Once she was gone, he shook his head and pulled the amulet she gave him out from under his shirt, whispering. "Richard McDonald."

As he felt his body stretch, he removed his glasses and tucked them into one of the hidden pockets of the dark green robes he now wore. Looking around him, he noticed that he also had a long cloak that looked suspiciously like Snapes, hanging from his shoulders. Glaring at the back of the fire place, Harry sighed before taking a handful of powder in his new hand and walking into the fire.

* * *

><p>In her office, Minerva stood stiffly as her colleague and friend Poppy Pomfrey talked-lectured-her on pushing herself too far too soon. Nodding in the pauses and making the appropriate sounds when needed, she tried to get the woman to the end of her lecture as fast as possible, for once glad that Harry seemed to forget her instructions of only waiting ten seconds. The moment she appeared in her office fireplace, she was bombarded with questions and instructions from the grey haired witch, demanding to know why she hadn't answered any of the owls she had sent, or while she hadn't come to Hogwarts after she left St Mungo's prematurely.<p>

"Are you even listening to me Minerva?" The elderly woman asked, sounding rather cross.

Glancing at the fireplace, Minerva nodded her head. "Yes I am, no I did not ignore your owls, I placed a ward around my property to limit who could contact me. I did not say I was coming back here once I left the hospital so don't pretend that I did, yes I did take my potions, my chest has little to no pain now, and finally, no I have not been pushing myself. I haven't even left the manor since I went there till today." She said, pushing herself from her desk. "Now if you would excuse me, I need to get ready before heading to the Great Hall for breakfast with the rest of the staff." She said, trying to steer the woman out of her office.

But it seemed like her luck was out as the fireplace let out a whistle, much like the one back at her manor had, just before a body all but fell out of the stone fireplace. Both woman turned and tensed up as they stared at the blonde. He stood up, dusting the black ash from his clothes, not looking up from what he was doing. "I'm sorry Minerva, I'll clean this up as soon as I can."

For a second, Minerva was confused, but as she looked into the clear blue eyes, she relaxed her grip on her cane, having picked it up as she tried to get her friend to leave. "That's quite alright Richard," She said, pulling her wand and cleaning up the mess at his feet. "Did everything go well?"

Looking at her, Harry saw the small smirk playing on her lips. "Everything went fine." He said, before looking to her left at the sound of someone clearing their throat. "Oh, I'm sorry." He said, looking between the two women.

Tensing up once more, Minerva turned to face the medi witch. "Poppy, this is Richard."

Stepping forward as elegantly as he could in the cloak he wasn't use to, Harry reached out for her hand. "A pleasure to meet you Madam Pomfrey. Minerva has told me a lot about how well you've treated her and the students."

Hesitating slightly, Poppy grasped his hand and shook it. "And you Richard." She said before glancing back at Minerva with a narrowed gaze. "And I just bet she has."

Dropping his hand, he inclined his head. "I'll leave you ladies to it." He turned to Minerva. "If you could just point me in the direction of your room dear, I'll leave you to catch up with everyone." He said, knowing that when she came back, he would be in for it.

Glaring at him, Minerva pointed to the door that was all but hidden behind a book case off to the side of the room. "Through there and turn right. The library's on the left if you want to read."

Smiling, he nodded his head. "Thank you Minerva. Have a lovely breakfast ladies." He said before leaving them.

Once he was gone, the grey haired witch turned and looked at the Transfiguration Mistress. "Who is he?" She asked, a knowing twinkle in her eye.

Seeing where her friend was taking this, she looked at her sharply. "An old friend." She said before leaving for the Great Hall.

* * *

><p>That night, Minerva entered her personal library, knowing that Harry would no doubt be sitting in front of the small table there reading. As she entered the room, she saw Harry curled up in the corner of the small two seat sofa reading a rather thick book on charms. Shaking her head, she walked around and sat down beside him, crossing her legs and leaning back against the side casually.<p>

"So," She started, "I just came from dinner in the Great Hall."

Harry _mmmm_'ed and continued reading, flipping the page.

"It turns out, that sometime between breakfast and lunch, Poppy met with Albus and had a lovely chat."

"That's nice." He said, not looking up.

"And then," She continued, looking at her nails. "Sometime between lunch and dinner, Poppy told someone that Albus had said that we were in a relationship. They're all wondering why I'm hiding you away in my quarters, when I could be showing you off, as Poppy had said that you are quite the handsome person."

He flipped the page.

"Harry."

He nodded.

In any other situation, she would have found this amusing, but not this time. "Harry." She said, falling back into her stern self once more.

"Yes Minerva?" He asked, still not bringing his eyes up from the book in front of him.

Finally fed up with him, she pushed herself up and pulled the book from his hands. "Were you listening to a word I said?"

"Everyone in the castle believes we're a couple and Madam Pomfrey believes I'm a handsome blonde." He said, taking the book back from her slack hand. "I don't see what the problem is, when Professor Dumbledore came over to check up on you, we acted as if we were, and he has passed this information on to Madam Pomfrey." He opened the book. "The way I see it, all I have to do is introduce myself to everyone tomorrow and tell them that we are old friends, and if Professor Dumbledore asks any questions, I explain that it's an inside joke we have shared for many years."

In front of him, Minerva blinked in surprise. After a couple of seconds, she came back to herself. "When did you become so smart?" She asked teasingly.

Without missing a beat, Harry answered her. "You don't share a house with a know-it-all for two months and not pick up some things." He peeked up from the book and smiled at the amused smirk she was giving him.

Arching her eyebrow, she folded her arms. "Indeed Mr Potter."

* * *

><p><em>One more to go.<em>


	13. Chapter 14

_It is done._

* * *

><p>A week later, Minerva stood in front of Harry in the mens room at Kings Cross Station with a sad smile. "Are you ready for this?"<p>

Harry nodded his head, his eyes filling with tears. "Yes."

Feeling her own eyes well with tears, she pulled the young man into a hug, whispering in his ear. "When the holidays arrive, the spell will break and you'll remember. I'll come and collect you as soon as I can." She explained as she pushed a piece of parchment into his hand.

He nodded against her shoulder. Pulling back, he stood up straight as she pulled her wand from sleeve. As it was pointed at him, he looked into her eyes and smiled. "Thank you."

Nodding back, Minerva flicked her wand and focused on blocking and adding the new memories. Minutes passed as she covered everything they had shared over the holidays, replaced with false images of him cleaning the Dursley's house and doing his assignments in his small room, but when it came to blocking the memory of her showing up to check in on him, she couldn't. She had a strong feeling that he would need to know that she was there for him.

As the bright light dissipated from her wand, she wiped at her cheeks and took one last look at Harry before disapparating back to the castle, leaving him to catch the train to Hogwarts with his friends.

Opening his eyes, Harry looked around him in confusion. Looking down at the small piece of parchment in his hand, he read the note written in emerald green ink.

_The train leaves in ten minutes Mr Potter. Try not to miss it._

* * *

><p><em>I know I left a fair bit out in the last two chapters and I apologize for that. I will at some point re-do them to improve them.<em>

_But for now, if you have questions, just ask and I'll answer them as well as I can. _

_Thanks for sticking with me on this._

_Ro._


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